Is alcohol 'bad'?

Following on from Alpin's thread, where someone mentioned starting a new thread on this subject...

Last night, I was sitting chatting to a mate, about drink and drugs. He's a smoker, where I'm more of a drinker. He was saying he quite likes the odd pint or two, but really hates getting drunk, whereas he'll smoke weed until he keels over. Cannabis seems to be a drug more suited to him, and his lifestyle (he has 3 kids, and needs to feel in control, which he can't do, if he drinks).

I explained how I love beer, and enjoy the buzz of going out to a pub, and sitting chatting with others, with lowered inhibitions and all that. I really do like that nice pub atmosphere. Of course, it's a double-edged sword, as things can quickly turn nasty on booze, and I'm prone to becoming a vicious little C when riled. And there's nowt worse than when Booze Goes Bad...

But mainly, I can either go out with friends, and just have 2 or 3, or if sat at home, just have a couple, and feel little ill-effects. I'd say 'using' alcohol is something that I'm glad to have, as part of my life.

But what of the 'bad' aspect of booze? Is it 'bad' to drink regularly? Is alcohol as inherently evil, as religion may suggest? Or is it the evil within us, which is unleashed if we drink to much?

Of course, none of us 'need' alcohol, but considering it's widespread use, I'd say it's a fairly important aspect of our social structure. Alcohol is often the lubricant at social events; weddings, funerals, birthdays, gallery openings, football matches, Royal Garden Parties, even Holy Communion. So, do we need something to oil the wheels of social interaction? Or should we find something else?

It's bad to drink to excess. Something a lot of people seem to have lost touch with. Otherwise normally sensible people will drink too much and turn into nasty, violent people. I don't know whether that's because it's what they're like deep down or what. I only know if I've been drinking the last thing I'd want to do is get in a fight because I'd just get leathered. In fact the couple of fights I've been involuntarily involved in when I had been drinking, that's exactly what happened.

Well some religions are very in favour of booze. It's part of the Sacrament for catholics, f'rinstance.

And wheterh it's bad depends on your genes as much as anything, if your enzymes allow you you to process it by getting lowered inhibitions without side-effects, and if you're a a non-addictive type. As a society, it's bad for us because there are so many people who cannot handle alcohol.. For individuals, it depends.

I cannot immediately find a source, but I definitely read of a study that had tested the supposed effect of alcohol on inhibitions. Apparently it's cultural. If you're British, you expect to feel like starting a fight in the taxi rank when your girlfriend vomits kebab meat onto someone's shoes, so you do. You can give almost limitless booze to an eskimo and this doesn't happen, because they don't expect it to.

So let me see, he (and you) assume weed has no effect on his control (either emotional or physical)?

I din't say that. He just feels that using cannabis is preferable to using alcohol, for him. He feels he 'needs' something, and is aware of his dependency on a drug. Certainly with cannabis, he won't be too inebriated to deal with any little crisis that may crop up. Quite responsible, I think.

I think this is one of the main reasons why we have problems of Muslim's integrating in our society. almost all socialising is based around booze.

That's a very inertesting idea. I went to a Muslim wedding a while ago. Of course, no booze. Felt kind of weird. There certainly was not the 'lack of inhibition' I've seen at other weddings. A few of us infidels were definitely thinking about the lack of social lubricant.

Anything can be good or bad its how its used that is important.
Drink - fine until over indulged
Cars - fine until driven dangerously
Guns - fine if used to shoot clays or legal game safely
etc

Everybody so far is focused on drink being a social lubricant, and it clearly is. What is missing is appreciation of the pleasure from the taste - no different to going out to eat for the enjoyment of the taste of the food. Not saying I don't like the effects of moderate consumption, but I could not live without the enjoyment of experiencing good beer, good wine and good whisky

There's amazing amount of social pressure to drink alcohol (in this country). Go for any sort of night out/function, mention you'll be driving and you'll immediately be told "no - leave the car at home so you can have a drink", or "so you'll enjoy yourself". I'm not getting it - do most folk really believe you can only enjoy yourself whilst tipsy? Note - I do enjoy the occasional libation.

I think this is one of the main reasons why we have problems of Muslim's integrating in our society. almost all socialising is based around booze

Tosh. That works on the principle that all Muslims abstain from drink. As a resident of Birminham for 25 years, I can assure you that this is not the case. There are lots of reasons for social inclusion/exclusion, Muslims not wanting a pint is not one of them.

Go for any sort of night out/function, mention you'll be driving and you'll immediately be told "no - leave the car at home so you can have a drink", or "so you'll enjoy yourself". I'm not getting it - do most folk really believe you can only enjoy yourself whilst tipsy?

I can see the logic. There's nothing quite as horrific as being sober when the rest of the party are drunk.

Tosh. That works on the principle that all Muslims abstain from drink. As a resident of Birminham for 25 years, I can assure you that this is not the case. There are lots of reasons for social inclusion/exclusion, Muslims not wanting a pint is not one of them.

Well some of the Muslims that I knew would drink a little every now and then, but they certainly wouldn't ever be seen anywhere near a pub, or ever drink in public.

There's amazing amount of social pressure to drink alcohol (in this country). Go for any sort of night out/function, mention you'll be driving and you'll immediately be told "no - leave the car at home so you can have a drink", or "so you'll enjoy yourself". I'm not getting it - do most folk really believe you can only enjoy yourself whilst tipsy?

this is probably why i tend to be considered somewhat of a misanthrope by many of my acquaintances; i haven't had an alcoholic drink in over 20 years now and whilst i don't care either way whether anyone else chooses to have a drink or two (or more), i do end up feeling quite uncomfortable if i'm out with friends and they're getting pretty drunk/rowdy. it's fascinating/weird/unsettling watching their personalities change so much in a relatively short space of time, purely through intoxication.

If you are in town on a night out virtually all the trouble you will see is alcohol fuelled. Got to casualty and the trouble is alcohol fueled. Domestic disputes where some poor soul gets stabbed and it is alcohol fueled.

What I dont understand is why sane rational clever people see it as a badge of honour to get so pissed that they cant remember what happened the next day.

There's amazing amount of social pressure to drink alcohol (in this country). Go for any sort of night out/function, mention you'll be driving and you'll immediately be told "no - leave the car at home so you can have a drink", or "so you'll enjoy yourself". I'm not getting it - do most folk really believe you can only enjoy yourself whilst tipsy? Note - I do enjoy the occasional libation.

I agree with this 100%.

I spoke to a girl in my local about a lad she was seeing. She is no longer with him because apprently he's boring. I asked why and the only reason she could give was that he didn't drink which amazed me.

I like a good few beers at the weekend as I think it's a good stress reliever. I also drink to make people more interesting!

ask any copper how many "alcohol based problems" have been due to excessing consumption of bitter or ale.

and how many are due to larger and lambrini?...

i dont like being drunk.

sociably tipsy, great, but i never drink more than that (ever, ive been drunk less than 10 times in my entire life)

ive also never touched weed or fags.
truely hate the stuff, no i dont need to try to to "find out for myself", ive seen the total cnoots it makes my friends, upsets me and I dont want to be associated with it.

i also enjoy the moral high ground of being able to call my exs, hippy mother a "liberal MORON"

Well never touch weed or fags or alcohol and to be honest the result of it doesn't make me want to
However I though brits were pretty tolerant with non drinkers, or maybe it's because they new they will always get a drive back home?

Rubbish why? Does cannabis not interfere at all with his capability to do things? I note from your first that "he'll smoke weed until he keels over." which I would suggest makes him far more incapable than I get from having a few drinks.

Dunno, never tried cannabis so maybe I don't have the experience to comment, but from all I've seen, people don't seem to retain complete control of themselves after smoking it.

Well some of the Muslims that I knew would drink a little every now and then, but they certainly wouldn't ever be seen anywhere near a pub, or ever drink in public.

What makes you so sure?

Because I used to drink in my local, The Bear Hotel, with them. Suggesting that all Muslims won't/don't drink is just untrue and TBH is conforming to a stereotype far more likely to lead to exclusion than your original suggestion.
As has been pointed out though, this isn't really the theme of the thread, so maybe it's time to move on.